When you fall in love with a Farmer...

When you Fall in Love with a Farmer...

Twilight project updates 2011 / 1

Falling in love with a farmer is an extraordinary experience... let me assure you there is never a dull moment as this species of human being is always on the go... with a mission that is worthy of a platter stacked with deliciously grown organic produce !

As you can see from the above photograph, Bruce is very passionate about all things green... Here he is seen whispering to the weeds as he pulls them... promising them ever lasting reincarnation in the palaces of his compost kingdom... he also sings to the worms praising them for their very existence for they are a gardens' best friend.

THE COMPOST BLUES

In 3'x3'x3' metal baskets, Bruce layers chopped up weeds (green), leaves (brown), compost (black) and sometimes with an organic activator, a mix of NPK, which speeds up decomposition.

In order to keep the dogs at bay from these deliciously filled baskets of rotting matter, Bruce created a little fenced in area which is large enough to hold 3 compost baskets full and 1 basket as a transitional basket which he uses when turning the piles.

Because its weed whacking season at the moment, Bruce has already created a secondary compost area with another 3 heaps... all the baskets are watered & tarped in order to keep the heaps nicely damp and moist !

Here's the first batch of compost... not only is it ready for use but the compost is already providing nutrients for volunteer plants such as potatoes & butternut squashes.

Here is our Compost Captain... the gathering bowl may get empty sometimes but Bruce is always creative about finding uses for it in the meantime !

THE GREEN HOUSE COLD FRAME

In mid January, when we usually enjoy a sunny respite between December & February snow... the first 'urgent' farming project Bruce wanted to accomplish here at Twilight was the building of a cold frame. Bruce is a carpenter by trade so he embarked on building the Rolls Royce of cold frames which for all due purposes ended up being a mini greenhouse !

After building the structure, Bruce used plywood for its floor & backing, then corrugated clear fiberglass material for its walls. The top of the cold frame is hinged & can be propped open with blocks of wood... or opened up completely.

The optimal interior temperature of a cold frame should be between 68F and 74F. Since the cold frame faces due south, Bruce also built a huge shade screen for daytime when it gets hotter... this not only provides semi shade for the wee plants but also allows proper ventilation.

This miniature greenhouse measures 8' long x 3' deep, approx. 30 sq ft of space, and can hold about a dozen seed trays at its bottom. When the plants grow up, this cold frame has enough height to hold potted plants too!

Bruce completed it just in time for our first February snow... woohoo!